{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"NL-Day185 1 Kings 19-20; Psalm 121; John 9","description":"1KINGS 19-20:The story we read yesterday in this book is one of the most dramatic in all of Scripture: The time the prophet Elijah confronted King Ahab. Remember that in the New Testament James used this story to encourage us that we are no different than Elijah and that we should pray fervently like him. PSALM 121:This is another psalm that is frequently sung, even today. Often this whole psalm is set to music. As Olsen says, this psalm lifts the fog from our eyes. Re-reading JOHN 9:Remember that in John 8 there was a tense standoff between Jesus and the religious leaders. The people took up stones to kill Jesus. John places this story here to illustrate again the opposition to Jesus. One of the hardest verses to translate is the very last one in this chapter. That is Jesus\u2019 answer when the Pharisees give this incredulous or rebuking response, \u201cSurely you don't mean that we are blind, too?\u201d The Greek can be translated as in literal versions, \u201cIf you were blind, you would have no [sin\/\/guilt]... To say someone has no sin, in English, would mean that they are totally sinless, and that is NOT what Jesus was meaning. 41 [based on NLT: Jesus replied, \u201cIf you were blind, you wouldn\u2019t be guilty [of still sinning], but you remain guilty because you claim you can see.\/\/GNT Jesus answered, \u201cIf you were blind, then you would not [be sinning now\/\/be guilty]; but since you claim that you can see, this means that you are [still guilty of sinning\/\/still guilty].\u201d] NLT Translation note:1Kings 19:10 Elijah replied, \u201cI have zealously served [You,\/the] LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.\u201d====John 9:28 They [hurled insults at\/\/cursed] him and said, \u201cYou are that fellow's disciple; but we are Moses' disciples.34 \u201cYou  were born a total sinner!\u201d they answered. \u201c[And now you think you are smart enough to teach us!\/\/Are you trying to teach us?]\u201d And they threw him out of the synagogue.37 \u201cYou have seen him,\u201d Jesus said, \u201cand he is speaking to you [now]!\u201d39 Then Jesus told him, \u201cI entered this world to render judgment\u2014 [to cause the blind to see, and to cause those who think that they can see to become blind.\u201d\/\/to give sight to the blind and to _show_ those who think they see that they are blind.\u201d][The word \u2018show\u2019 is not in the Greek, and I do not agree with adding it. Unfortunately, on earth at least, only a percentage are shown that they are spiritually blind. The blind often take their blindness to the grave. That is the danger that Jesus is warning the Pharisees about.]40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and [replied\/asked], \u201cAre you saying we\u2019re blind?\u201d41 \u201cIf you were blind, you wouldn\u2019t be guilty [of still sinning],\u201d Jesus replied. \u201cBut you remain guilty because you claim you can see.   Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright \u00a9 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. ","author_name":"Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields","author_url":"http:\/\/dailybiblereading.info","html":"